Had it not been the wind blown ridges of the Chandrakhani pass, thee would have been no valley of the gods in Himachal Pradesh. Local lore has it that when the great gos jamlu was passing through Chandrakhani, with all the minor devtas packed in a sack, a fierce wind blew open the fasteings and the devtas were scattered all over the Kullu valley.

The pass itself is a vast windswept ridegeling, with cairns doting its length and panoramic views enfolding it. The snow-capped peaks of the Pir Panjal range and the Ghalpo peaks of Lahaul stand to the north of the pass and, to the south, the hills roll away like dunes all the way to Shimla.

A steep descent leads from the Chandrakhani pass to the quint- and rather isolated-Malana village, with its famously reserved cultural practices (and its world renowened hashish). The uper Malana valey is worth the five-day foray to see the hanging glaciers of the valley, which give rise to the feisty Malana river. Exit via the Rashol pass into Kashol and further into the Pavati valley. End the trek with a refreshing bath in the hot springs here.

Route: From Delhi, take the Manali highway and, from Patlikul (20 km befoe Manali), turn into the diversion to Nagga (9km). Book into a hotel here.

Tour Progam: Day 01: Drive to Rumtsu (10km) and trek to Stilgan; 3hrs.

Day 02: Stilgan-Nayatapru (at the base of the pass); 6hrs.

Day 03: Chandrakhani pass-Nagaruni; 5hrs.

Day 04: Nagaruni-Bara Grahan; 6hrs.

Day05: Bara Grahan-Kiksa Thach; 6hrs, from where you can walk up to the hanging glaciers of Malana.

Days 06 & 07 : Descend to Malana via Dadru village.

Day 08: Descend to Malana nullah (2hrs) from where you are on the road to jai (11kms). Your tour operator will arrange a taxi to pick you up from here.